LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25084, 23 December 1944, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Christnus Spirit Sir, —Ha vine: visited several large retail establishments in the past fendays, I wish to pay a tribute to those who serve the customers. Coping with the demands of crowds of impatient shoppers, they still remain cheerful and obliging. That is one side of the picture. The other is provided by those customers who seem to be intent on making themselves a nuisance. Two or three times, I have watched while a customer has deliberately wasted the valuable time of the salesman, or saleswoman, and then passed an unpleasant remark before departing without making a purchase. In each Case, the person behind the counter has "come up smiling." "These are the people, 1 think, who are showing the true Christmas spirit of "peace on earth; goodwill to men." To them I give the greeting: A Merry Christmas! Admirer. Hurried Films Sir. —When I went to a suburban picture theatre this week I was disappointed to find the earlier part of the programme being run through the machines at a good deal more than the proper speed. One of the films was a technicolour reproduction of ballot, and ordinarily would have been delightful entertainment. Instead, the whole thing was a mad dance such as no company of men and women dould have performed at the pace depicted. The main feature was not so bad, but even that was hurried up to some extent. I should not complain if this were an isolated case, but I have had enough experiences of the sam • kind to suggest that the practice is fairly common in theatres which habitually put on "double-feature" programmes. 1 cannot speak for picturegoers in general, but the more discriminating of them would ho glad to have less film footage unrolled at something nearer the speed intended by the manufacturers. Flicker. Good English Sir, —Like A. V. Warman, I was much impressed by the original atmosphere surrounding "Dust Monster." But this style of writing is not encouraged in our public schools or outside of them. Mechanical accuracy is the hall-mark of our New Zealand writers. Writing is an art, and the imagination plays the most important part in the conception of an author or artist who "soars beyond the sunset and the baths of all the western stars." The article under review is a charming exception, and shows how your staff correspondent, using his imagination, successfully clothes dull inanimate matter with personality. It is worthy of placing on record that the iiso of metaphor and allegory in our language has been responsible for some of the best English. Keats said of Shelley: "We have had many masters of our language, but Shelley was the first to conquer it." And we know the master mind of Shelley seldom left the world of metaphor. Herbert Mulviuill. Help in the Home Sir, —The Minister of Health should be congratulated on his practical approach to the problem of domestic aid. I for one have great hopes of what will flow from this modest beginning. The women, to their credit, have been attacking the problem through various organisations and from several angles. May I : uggest to Mr Nordmeyer that he should have those movements examined to see what (?an bo learned from them and whether any not embraced by his proposals could be brought within their seopo. The idea of nursery play centres is spreading in and around Auckland and is meeting a real human need. But in some cases the voluntary associations concerned, while they can meet current expenses, would be greatly helped by subsidies toward the capital expenditure called for in establishing proper centres. That is but' one instance. The Minister will find others, if he looks, where the good work can be help along. Duloe Domum.